Now, Ajsu slams JMM post split

Sudesh Mahto at the Ajsu lok panchayat at Golf Ground in Dhanbad on Sunday. Picture by Gautam Dey

Dhanbad, Feb. 10: Former deputy chief minister and Ajsu president Sudesh Mahto today said politics in Jharkhand is not a family or party legacy but dictated by the masses.

Addressing a gathering of around 10,000 supporters during a lok panchayat here, Mahto covertly targeted JMM supremo Shibu Soren and his family without naming anyone.

JMM withdrew support to the BJP-led Arjun Munda coalition, which included Ajsu as an ally, leading to the collapse of the government last month.

“Whenever we got an opportunity, we never shirked from our responsibility to serve the state,” Mahto said, adding some political parties had tried to divide the state in the name of caste and creed.

He exhorted party workers to stake claim in national politics. “Jharkhand has no less potential than any of the other state, as 60 per cent of mineral reserves are present here.”

Patting Ajsu’s back for the 2010 panchayat elections in the state, Mahto said, “We held panchayat elections in the state after a gap of 34 years and ensured participation of women in leading positions to help them decide the course of development in their areas.”

Urging workers to remain prepared for elections, he added, “Only an elected government can work for the betterment of the state.”